In an account smuggled out of prison, a radical Muslim cleric has detailed how he was kidnapped by the CIA from this northern Italian city and flown to Cairo, where he was tortured for months with electric shocks and shackled to an iron rack known as "the Bride." Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr, also known as Abu Omar, wrote an 11-page letter describing his 2003 abduction at the hands of the CIA and Italian secret service agents. He somehow transferred the document out of Egypt -- where he remains in custody -- and into the hands of Italian prosecutors who are investigating his disappearance. The Milan public prosecutor's office on Thursday confirmed the authenticity of the letter, the existence of which was first reported by the Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera. The document has been submitted as evidence to defense attorneys representing 25 CIA officers, a U.S. Air Force officer and nine Italian agents who have been charged with organizing the kidnapping of ... http://www.washingtonpost.com

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the Democratic wave that won the party control of Congress did nothing to deter the Bush administration from continuing its Iraq mission until "the goal that took us to Iraq" is reached. "It's too important to our own security," Rice said in a newspaper interview distributed Thursday by the State Department. "Iraq has to be successful for America to be secure." Rice said President Bush has promised "that we will certainly make adjustments to our policy" in Iraq. "We will certainly look to new ideas." But while "the American people clearly were voting for change, as the president said," they "were not voting for anything less than a success in Iraq." The idiot thinks voters voted for Success in Iraq? What are they smoking? Who does it serve for the dieing and killing to continue, and who gains? Why must more die for their lies? What was there ever to gain? When are we going to arrest and charge everyone responsible for this? ...http://www.forbes.com/technology/feeds/ap/2006/11/09/ap3161857.html

The European Court of Human Rights has found the Kremlin complicit in the murder and abduction of Chechen civilians snatched by Russian troops between 2000 and 2002. In a rare ruling on the subject from the Strasbourg court, judges said Russia bore responsibility for the disappearances and murder or "presumed death" of three individuals. In one case the abductee, a 40-year-old mother of four, turned up in a mass grave eight months later, while in two others the bodies have never been found. The judgments, only the third and fourth from the court concerning Chechnya, are a damning indictment of how Russian troops prosecuted a war designed to destroy separatist rebels.Troops entered Chechnya in 1999 to flush out independence-minded rebel fighters. But civilians were dragged into what became one of the 20th century's most brutal conflicts. Human rights groups estimate that up to 5,000 civilians have "disappeared" since 1999....http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article1963002.ece

Iraq’s political leaders scrambled Wednesday to interpret what a sharply altered American political landscape might mean for the future of this war-ravaged country.Initial reactions to the sweeping Democratic gains and the replacement of Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld appeared to leave Iraqis, like many Americans, unsure of the likely impact on America’s policy on the war. Some Iraqi politicians said they hoped for major changes, while others seemed more concerned about reassuring Iraq’s 27 million people that America would not abandon its commitments here and order American troops home. Mr. Rumsfeld, though, has long been reviled by Iraqis and blamed for everything from the uncontrolled looting after the invasion in 2003 to the collapse of public services and the mounting wave of sectarian violence. ...http://fairuse.100webcustomers.com/fairenough/nyt589.html

America's rejection of Bush's Iraq policy is a slap in the face for his allies, but it may give British premier Tony Blair a chance to improve his standing at home by discussing exit options. Blair has been derided and rebuked by critics in Britain as the U.S. President's "poodle" for giving staunch backing to a war which is hugely unpopular with British voters and has overshadowed achievements during Blair's 9 years in power.The Republicans' crushing mid-term election defeat toppled Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, giving Bush the opportunity to change course.Now Blair may have a more willing listener, allowing him to influence events before he leaves office next year....http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061109/wl_nm/usa_elections_allies_dc

Three Americans and four Vietnamese went before a judge Friday in Ho Chi Minh City to face terrorism charges after allegedly plotting to seize radio airwaves to call for an uprising against the communist government. The seven were led into the People's Court for the one-day trial where, if convicted, they could face sentences ranging from 12 years in jail to execution. ...http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2642857